pumpkin

The winners of the 6th Annual CBC Pumpkin Carving Contest have been determined! A panel of CBC judges deliberated over the excellent entries, which ranged from spooky Halloween scenes, pop culture figures, science puns, and more.

Nothing says fall quite like a pumpkin. From Jack O’ Lanterns and coffee flavors, to center pieces for your Thanksgiving table, this seasonal squash is an autumn staple. Let’s take a look at the chemistry that has us falling for pumpkins year after year.

Wait, so my pumpkin spice treat isn’t really pumpkin?

Nope! And your pumpkin pie probably isn’t either. The “pumpkin” used in your pie is actually a specially bred sweet squash that is less watery and fibrous than your typical carving pumpkin. Both pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice flavored foods rely more on their blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove than the gourd itself for their flavor. Since natural spices don’t produce consistent flavoring in large-scale commercial food production, the molecules that produce the flavor in these spices (cinnamaldehyde & pinene are among these) are often added instead.

Round up a group of your CBC friends (teams of 1 to 4 people), and come carve pumpkins (and eat pizza) with us!

Where: Celeste LobbyWhen: Monday, October 29th at 5:30pm
Judging will take place at 7:00pmJudging categories:
STEM, Spooky, OSU, Wildcard, and the Best Overall!
Prizes will be given out for the winner of EACH category!

Each team will be provided with a pumpkin to carve and a simple carving kit. Additional carving tools and/or props from home are encouraged!

The window to RSVP has passed! Please check back for photos of the winning pumpkins.

CBC’s Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest – October 30th

The window to RSVP has passed! Please check back for photos of the winning pumpkins.

Round up a group of your CBC friends, and come carve pumpkins (and eat pizza) with us!

Where: Celeste Lobby

When: October 30th at 5:30 PM

Judging will take place at 7 PM

Judging categories:
STEM, Halloween-y, OSU, Wildcard, and the BEST OVERALL!

Prizes will be given out for the winner of EACH category!

Each team will be provided with a pumpkin to carve and a simple carving kit. Additional carving tools and/or props from home are highly encouraged! You must enter your team (1-4 people) using the form below to reserve a pumpkin and participate.

Nothing says fall quite like a pumpkin. From Jack O’ Lanterns and coffee flavors, to center pieces for your Thanksgiving table, this seasonal squash is an autumn staple. Let’s take a look at the chemistry that has us falling for pumpkins year after year.

Wait, so my pumpkin spice treat isn’t really pumpkin?

Nope! And your pumpkin pie probably isn’t either. The “pumpkin” used in your pie is actually a specially bred sweet squash that is less watery and fibrous than your typical carving pumpkin. Both pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice flavored foods rely more on their blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove than the gourd itself for their flavor. Since natural spices don’t produce consistent flavoring in large-scale commercial food production, the molecules that produce the flavor in these spices (cinnamaldehyde & pinene are among these) are often added instead.

The winners of the annual CBC Pumpkin Carving Contest have been determined! A panel of CBC judges deliberated over the excellent entries, which ranged from spooky Halloween scenes, pop culture figures, science puns, and more.

Special congratulations to the winners:

Best Overall Pumpkin: Shiuao Ying, Chenxi Yuan, & Yongdan Wang

Best Science Pumpkin: Xin Gu, Xuyao Gao, Keyang Yu, & Buyun Liu

Best Buckeye Spirit Pumpkin: Hui Huang & Yuyu Li

Funniest Pumpkin: Sidney Sillart & Nathan Yoshino

Did you take photos of your pumpkin this year? We’d love to see them and feature them here on the blog! Submit them below.

Enjoy snacks, claim your pumpkin, and plan your design until carving begins at 6:00. Then, it’s all hands on deck to put together a prize-worthy pumpkin entry for the judges by 7:00! Prizes will be awarded after judge deliberation at 7:30. Take your pumpkin home or leave it on display in the Undergraduate Studies Office!

The deadline to register for this event has passed. We’ll see you next year!

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